Christmas Delights

Christmas 2011 has been a season of family, food, dogs/cats, grown children and special gifts. 

Our Christmas Eve is always a Czech meal that my grandmother hosted on the farm and has been the same for as long as any of us remember.  Years ago she taught me to make her prune dumplings and I think they were just like hers this year!  I have never had the Czech spelling but phonetically it's call pee-yet-ee. 

A sweet bread stuffed with plump prunes, cut into hunks and doused with a combination of milk, sugar and poppy seed.  The dish is then baked and dumplings are turned quite often so each is moist and soft with milk mixture.  Most everyone eats a piece, but my dad and I LOVE it!  We share the leftovers and eat them for the rest of the week! (feel free to comment if you'd like the recipe)

Christmas Day was a bit of a challenge this year as John had to take our daughter, Julia, to the ER at 8am.  A scratched cornea and eye infection was the diagnosis.  Painful and swollen, she made it through gifts & breakfast and still went to work in the afternoon!  (Double pay is motivating for sure!)  Our Jamie was North Face-d, Ugg-ed and Victoria Secret-d within an hour of gift opening and planning her evening of movie going by 10:30am.

Little Pierre had so much fun with his gifts from Santa and the cat's gifts from Santa....and the cats after their gifts from Santa! 

John and I never do too much with gifts for each other.  This year we both had gotten a few great things the other had been wanting or needing! 

I received a few special gifts this year too.  Our daughter, Gina, sent a few of her homemade chutneys and lemon curd.  My friend Sandy, gave me a sweet, rooster-topped bottle of homemade amaretto and my artist friend, Pat Cooper, sent a card with a watercolor of Pierre on the front!  Homemade is always a great gift!

My folks hosted dinner on Christmas Day and as usual per my Mom, it was fantastic!  She really puts out the spread!  Per tradition...women in the kitchen, men.....well, you know men. 

I wish you a season filled with all of these wonderful things too and a healthy, happy New Year!

My Christmas Morning Menu

The only meal I am hosting this Christmas is breakfast for John's folks.  I know they would prefer I make bacon, eggs, toast...diner style.  It's a good thing they are used to my weird-ness with food so here is my menu and recipes!

Pumpkin Pancakes with Cinnamon Cider Syrup
Baked Eggs with Asparagus
Panettone with melted fresh butter
Fresh fruit with dip (my MIL is bring)
Bacon

The Pumpkin Pancakes are a recipe I modified from Paula Deen's Souffled Pumpkin Pancake recipe.  I wanted a fluffy pancake with great pumpkin flavor, so I changed things a bit and make them individual in a skillet.  They taste great with pure maple syrup or I made the Cinnamon Cider Syrup (50-50 blend of maple syrup and cooked down apple cider) back in the fall and left it to steep in the cellar.

PUMPKIN PANCAKES

• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1/4 cup pecan halves
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 2/3 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup pumpkin puree 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder

Sift dry ingredients together in a large bowl. 
Melt 2 Tablespoon butter in a small pan and add brown sugar, when dissolved, stir in pecan and saute about 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and set aside.

Melt remaining 3 Tablespoons butter in mixing bowl and whisk in eggs, buttermilk and vanilla.  Whisk in the dry ingredients and when combined, fold in pumpkin puree until just combined.

I sprinkle the pecans on top of  pancake batter as they cook, or you can use for garnish when serving.

CINNAMON CIDER SYRUP

I simply reduced 2 cups of local apple cider down to about a 1/2 cup, over low simmer in a small saucepan.  It took about an hour.  I then added an equal amount of pure maple syrup and a 2 inch piece of cinnamon stick.  I put the combo in a small jar in the cellar in October and it's delicious!
BAKED EGGS

You can find my recipe for Baked Eggs on this blog!  Just use the search bar!

PANATTONE;
If you've never tried Panattone, it's really special and delicious!  A light and airy, slightly sweet bread
 studded with candied oranges, citron and raisins that is crafted in a tall round loaf from Italy.  Tradition calls for slices unadorned, yet I LOVE a slice brushed with melted butter!  Just enough to make the slice glisten, but not enough to soak in.  You could also serve with mascarpone, a triple creme cheese from Italy or batter with beaten eggs and saute like french toast!  i just adore a hunk of it with my morning coffee too!

FRUIT DIP;
1 jar marshmallow fluff
1 8ounce package cream cheese, softened

Beat them together with flat beater until combined, serve with fresh fruit like grapes, sliced bananas, strawberry halves and cubed pineapple and watch the whole damn dish disappear within minutes.  This is evil, evil dip.

I hope your Christmas is merry, drama is little and the food delicious! 

Roasting Chestnuts...

Yesterday was the 1st storm of the season here in Michigan and a great time to decorate the tree and roast fresh chestnuts!  Family, food and twinkle lights...so awesome! 

I have developed a fondness for roasted chestnuts and they are so easy to make!  No open fire necessary, just a preheated 400 degree oven!  Lay them flat side down on a cutting board and score an X with a sharp knife.  Throw on a baking sheet and cook 25-30 minutes...THAT'S IT!!

Peel as soon as they come out of the oven (or as soon as they can safely be handled) and sprinkle with a bit of salt if desired.  So sweet and yummy! 

Any leftovers, I put into a small saucepan with a bit of milk and simmer until soft and mushy for Chestnut Soup with Marsala and Proscuitto crips (find recipe below).  All in all, a fantastic winter treat!  The Boulevard Market does the Minerva brand from France in a can, less fuss, but less charm too!  Enjoy!

CHESTNUT SOUP

1 diced carrot
½ medium onion, diced
1 diced stalk of celery
4 Tablespoons butter
2 cups cooked chestnuts (14 oz. can,drained)
1 cup Sweet Marsala Wine or Ruby Port
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 sprig fresh thyme
3 cups chicken stock or broth
½ cup heavy cream
Salt & pepper to taste
Proscuitto Strips

In sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter and sauté carrots, onion and celery until soft, about 10 minutes.  Add drained chestnuts and cook an additional 4 minutes, gently breaking Chestnuts up.  Add wine and vinegar, raise heat to high and reduce to half volume.  Add stock or broth and thyme, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.  Remove from heat, discard thyme and add heavy cream.  Pour into blender (you may need to do 2 batches) and puree until smooth.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Return to heat if necessary.  Garnish with Proscuitto strips.

PROSCUITTO STRIPS
3-4 Ounces sliced Proscuitto
Using sharp scissors, cut slices of Proscuitto into ¼ inch strips.  Saute over high heat until crispy, drain on paper towel.

Organized Chaos

This weekend I picked up a couple of my favorite magazines' holiday issues.  I love the articles on foods (of course) and recipes and I am always eager to read the "I'm not going to go crazy again this year" holiday tips articles.  I am always disappointed...no magic solution yet.  

So, I am going to share a few of my tips with you.  John and I are swamped this time of year at the Market and we love it!  It is not a season for relaxing however and from years past experience, I have to be ridiculously organized, or we have cheese disasters and entertaining nightmares, mad family members and half cooked dishes to pass. 

• BUY A SMALL NOTEBOOK ,see previous post on leather one :)

Create all of your master lists in this notebook.  I write which gift I will buy for each person.  I keep note of every event we are attending, the time, date and location, what I am bringing and WEARING.  I even list ingredients for recipes, so I can pick them up anytime I'm at the grocery.  The notebook is kept in my handbag.  If I change my mind on a gift, or run across something fab that my daughter might like, it gets noted and changed in the notebook.  I also keep a paperclip on the back cover to clip all receipts.  I also include advil, pepto bismol, neosporin and bandaids to the list...you are gonna need them!    

•     BUY A PAIR OF SLACKS/SKIRT AND A COUPLE SHIRTS + ACCESSORIES THIS WEEK

I purchase a couple festive outfits for the holidays every year.  Sometimes, I have something from last year I really liked, so I will update accessories only.  I purchase clothing that is comfortable, washable and I feel great in it!  I keep it laundered, pressed and ready to go.  This way, I do not have to make any choices when it's time to get ready and I feel like I look great!

• PURCHASE ALL WRAPPING NECESSITIES AND CARDS

I usually take a few minutes at Thanksgiving time to go through ALL of last years gift wrap, ribbon etc.  I put it all on the list.  I purchase all of my cards, small envelopes and wrap together.  I like when everything works inter-changably and I'm not scrambling for matching ribbon.  I also do lots of "gifts from my kitchen" so I take a moment to go through my collected bottles, jars and boxes and run them through the dishwasher, check for chips etc. Check your list for needed amounts :)  I do ask for boxes and bags when shopping, (anything to keep it easier) and keep paper shopping bags for schleping dishes to pass, small gifts and my slippers!

• WRAP EARLY AND OFTEN, PREPARE A BOX FOR KITCHEN GIFTS

I wrap as gifts come into the house, and they get put under the tree or stashed in the closet.  Remember your list and check it off as you go, so you remember what you purchased!  I keep a box on my unheated porch for gifts from my kitchen to be stashed in.  

• PREPARE GIFTS FROM YOUR KITCHEN EARLY

Limoncello, vanilla extract, caramels, spicy nuts and wine jellies were gifts last year, and they kept fine out there.  Easy to prepare and a long storage life made them great gifts!  While I love baked goods, they are too time consuming to prepare and give, and they go stale too quickly.  These choices gave the recipients a longer time to enjoy them as well.  They were easy to grab hostess gifts for unexpected friends and cost very little to make.

• REMEMBER THAT IT'S ALL "ENOUGH"

The sheer amount of "everything" this time of the year is often overwhelming.  Whatever you make, buy, wrap and do is "enough" with the right spirit.  If someone else has a problem with, it's exactly that..their problem!  I do not feel the need to do "more" any longer.  The gifts cost enough, the food is good and plentiful enough, the house is big enough and decorated enough, you did enough!  There will always be someone that does more.  I often think this is the part of the holidays that really bring us all down.  Just say "it's enough" and "I love you". 


We have really ignored the holiday-hell in the past couple of years in our household.  The girls usually choose larger gifts (unaffordable to college students and minimum wage employees) and then I choose stocking stuffers and small gifts that I think they will love/use/appreciate.  We make an effort to ignore the not-nice things that happen at the holidays due to stress, expectations and lots of together time and enjoy our family, home, food and each other.  (By  the way, wine never hurts the situation!)   

(I always keep this mantra in my mind...it's called a GIFT!!!  I appreciate the fact someone thought of me and shared a bit of themselves or pocketbook with me.  It's the holidays...)